Jack Scheuer’s Off The Boards – December 10, 2014 Edition

Some thoughts about the long due induction of Guy Rodgers into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Temple All American and NBA All Star should have been honored long ago. In his 3 years with the Owls, the great playmaker won the Big 5’s Geasey Award each season, the team went 76-14 and also participated in 2 Final Fours. He spent 12 years in the Pros, made the All-Star team 4 times, and had 28 assists in one game, an NBA record at the time. In my opinion, he is still the best player ever to have played in the Big 5, and I’m well aware of the greatness of Ken Durrett, Lionel Simmons, Howard Porter, Mark Macon and Jameer Nelson. Also, be reminded that Tom Gola and Paul Arizin played before the Big 5 was formed. As was said by many who saw him play, “Nobody ever ran a fast break like Guy Rodgers.”

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Where have all the shooters gone? North Carolina shot 28% in its loss to Iowa, who posted 33%. Several of the locals have been in the 20’s more than once, and there have been many examples of this all over the country. Some coaches, notably Jim Boeheim, think AAU ball could be the culprit and he might have a point. Many of the kids in those programs have plenty of talent, but as Boeheim has said,”Most of the guys are more interested in getting to the basket and dunking.” Obviously, not many are working on their shooting.

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Trivia Time and a tough one: Name 3 father and son combinations who were on NBA champions. Hints, one pair has a Philly connection, and 2 of the fathers are in the Hall of Fame (A center and a forward).

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This and That: Chris Chiozza, Florida’s 5-11 point guard didn’t get as much mention as some of this year’s freshmen, but he’s something special….Speaking of special, on how many Big 5 teams would the University of Sciences’ Garrett Kerr play?…. La Salle visits Drexel on Saturday. The Explorers have a 20-4 edge in the series. The Dragons last win was in 1997….Tough match for Temple on Sunday, playing at Villanova. The Wildcats won 90-74 , on North Broad last season….Analyst Dan Dakich seems to know quite a bit, but it would be nice if he would let the play-by-play guy get in a few words once in a while…. Former St.Joe’s Prep star Steve Vasturia is averaging 29 minutes and 8 points a game for 25th ranked Notre Dame.